Marks & Spencer on a hiring spree in 2016

In an age when big companies are laying off employees to save money, UK-based retail giant Marks & Spencer is going on a hiring spree in India. The popular clothing brand is looking to hire to 300 people in the next fiscal as it aims since it aims to open new stores across the country.

Marks & Spencer has opened 54 stores located in 24 cities since it came to India in 2008

The clothing giant – which is in India through a joint venture with Reliance Retail – says the move is necessary to maintain around 20 per cent growth in numbers in India. The company expects robust contribution from online sales.

“Our all stores are company owned and all the staff are on our rolls. Currently, we have little over 1,300 employees and we are looking to hire 200-300 people next fiscal as per our plans to open new stores,” Marks & Spencer Reliance India Head of Retail Mohit Bhayana was quoted by PTI as saying.

On an average, Marks & Spencer opens 10-12 stores every year in India. In the last three years, 31 stores have been opened in various cities in India.

This year, the company is making a beeline for cities like Goa, Thrissur, Jalandhar and Delhi.

Bhayana was quoted by PTI as saying: “In 2014-15, we achieved a growth of 23.1 per cent. We hope to maintain around 20 per cent growth in the next three years.”

Marks & Spencer has also started selling its products through e-commerce sites like Myntra and Flipkart starting October last year.

“These two sites account for huge portion of online clothing sales in India and we are present in their platform. So far we have received very good response and we hope to increase our sales in coming days,” Bhayana was quoted by agencies as saying.

Marks & Spencer opened its first store in India in 2001 and had formed a joint venture with Reliance Retail in April 2008 to form Marks & Spencer Reliance India Pvt Ltd.

The company has 54 stores located in 24 cities, including Delhi, Amritsar, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Baroda, Kanpur, Hyderabad and Chandigarh.

Established in 1884, Marks & Spencer has over 870 stores in the UK and over 480 stores across 59 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.